The jury citation said Rogers, who was born in Florence, Italy and trained in London and the USA, was a champion of urban life.

It said: “In his writings, through his role as advisor to policy making groups, as well as his large-scale planning work, Rogers is a champion of urban life and believes in the potential of the city to be a catalyst for social change.”

The jury also made special reference to Rogers’ first high-profile project – the Pompidou Centre in Paris, France.

It said: “Key Rogers projects already represent defining moments in the history of contemporary architecture. The Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, designed in partnership with Renzo Piano, revolutionized museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.”

The last six months have been good to Rogers: his firm also won the Stirling Prize for the first time last year with Terminal 4, Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain.

Other recent key Rogers’ projects include: a 71-storey tower for the World Trade Center in New York, USA; the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff and the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, London.

Rogers is also widely known for his urban policy work and as chair of the Urban Taskforce, has played a key role in forming many of the urban regeneration strategies around today.

The 56-year-old senior partner of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam is famous for turning conventions of modern architecture and urban design on their head. His 1994 exhibition hall in Lille, northern France (right) uses industrial materials such as galvanised steel and low-grade translucent glass to create wonderfully luminous ...